There’s Something in the Air Indoor Air Chemistry – Creating the “Chemical Soup ” of IAQ

Indoor air is a complex mixture of gases and particles. What is not well understood is that many of the things used in indoor environments have the potential to create chemical reactions that can produce totally unintended and potentially harmful results. Much research has been done recently regarding indoor air chemistry as a source of particles (Weschler, Corsi, Sarwar, Shields, Fick, EPA). As a result of this research, and previous research related to outdoor air, it has been found that ozone (O3) reacts with terpenes and several other volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) to create hydroxyl radicals and numerous small particles. Terpenes are a class of chemicals found as the ‘scent ’ in many household products such as cleaners, air fresheners, disinfectants, laundry detergents, furniture wax, etc. For example, the pine scent in many all-purpose cleaners is partially due to pinene. Citrus scents are a result of the presence of limonene. Terpenes are also emitted from natural and manufactured wood products and are generally observed at indoor levels that far exceed outdoor levels (Weschler, Corsi, Sarwar). Studies of this chemical reaction have found that the substances created by the reaction of ozone and various terpenes include hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, formaldehyde, other aldehydes, pinic acid, glyoxal, acetone and numerous other highly oxygenated compounds (Weschler